STUDENT SUPPORT

TAFE Queensland is committed to helping you to reach your goals by providing support and services such as counselling, financial assistance/scholarships, and disability support. Don’t be afraid to ask for help; we all need it once in a while.

Visit tafeqld.edu.au/current-students/student-support-services/index.html to view our full range of student support services.

Learning Support And Library Services

Learning support is available to all TAFE Queensland students. Students may be requested to undertake a literacy and numeracy (LLN) screening process to identify if additional support is recommended. Regardless of the outcome of the LLN screening process, students requiring Learning Support should contact their educator for further information or assistance.

TAFE Queensland has an extensive library network operating throughout Queensland on a resource-sharing basis to meet the needs of students and staff. For more information, visit tafeqld.edu.au

SCIENCE? MATHS? REFERENCING?

You don’t have to be top of the class in science, but it is important for your academic progression to have a strong foundation.

You will have access to Studiosity to assist you in your study. Studiosity is on-demand study help for academic literacy skills and core subject support. Immediate help is available from subject specialists with writing, referencing, tertiary level accounting, statistics, economics, and more, and essential foundation knowledge for maths, science, and business studies.

Subject specialists are available online to help you with your questions. As soon as you need it, you can log in and be connected live via online chat.

More information about Studiosity is available at tafeqld.edu.au/current-students/student-support-services/ studiosity.html

Confidentiality

As an enrolled student of TAFE Queensland, you will be required to undertake clinical practice as part of your studies. During this process, you may become familiar with information that is confidential to that workplace/place of study (e.g. personal affairs and family background of staff and clients, technical information, trade secrets, knowhow, formulae, processes, ideas, and inventions).

You must not divulge any confidential information that you become aware of during your clinical practice. You and your patients will be required to sign confidentiality agreements and practice according to TAFE Queensland’s ethical standards. Breaches of confidentiality will be considered acts of behavioural misconduct and may result in disciplinary action, including expulsion from the course. Read more about the Student Misconduct rules on our website

Student Rules

TAFE Queensland Student Rules constitute the formal mechanism for communicating the rules and regulations governing student conduct within TAFE Queensland and cover a range of topics (including but not limited to):

Personal Conduct and Behaviour

Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment

Enrolment and Fees

Attendance and Progress of Study

Assessment, Progression, and Misconduct

Results and Awards

Complaints and Feedback

The TAFE Queensland Student Rules are available on our website at https://tafeqld.edu.au/about-us/policyand-governance/policies-and-procedures/student-rules-and-policies/index.html

Sexual Harassment And Sexual Assault

Sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination involving students, faculty, staff or patients damage a learning environment, reputations, and relationships and will not be tolerated in any form.

Students are encouraged to review the sexual harassment information in the learning management system and familiarise themselves with the student misconduct rules for TAFE Queensland.

If you have questions about possible sexual harassment issues, you are encouraged to contact TAFE student support services (07) 3244 5095.

Student Representative

TAFE Queensland encourages you to represent your peers and bring your experience, values, insight, and interest to the TAFE Queensland committees, boards, and groups that deal with student matters.

Through participation on TAFE Queensland’s committees, you have the opportunity to contribute to discussions and decision-making on academic, faculty and student support matters. You will also gain valuable experience in negotiation and teamwork, enhancing your communication and interpersonal skills.

Each semester, students enrolled in the Bachelor of Dental Prosthetics (HED004) are invited to nominate student representative candidates to represent each year of the three-year degree (3 representatives per semester).

If you are interested in getting involved, consider your availability to prepare for and attend meetings. Meeting preparation involves reading each meeting’s papers before coming to the meeting.

Your Australian Higher Education Graduate Statement will also reflect your leadership role as a student representative.

Attendance

Enrolment in a professional course like this one is often compared to full-time employment and can be very different from other undergraduate education.

Student Dental Prosthetists often attribute their success in the course to the mindset that their experience is a full-time job. They also understand that work-life balance is essential to their overall success and well-being. Ensure your success by attending all classes and clinics. Attendance in some classes and clinics is mandatory unless excused by unit convenors. Additionally, even if there appears to be an open time on your study schedule, last-minute changes can and will occur, sometimes unplanned at the last minute. All clinical experiences are part of the overall course. Students will be expected to participate in an alternative clinical experience when patient cancellations occur during that scheduled clinic time. The student’s responsibility is to understand that they are available from 8am-5pm Monday through Friday unless TAFE Queensland is closed.

Absenteeism

All absentees must be reported either by sending an email to the Unit Convenor before or soon after missing the class, and where appropriate, providing evidence for leave of absence from mandatory study sessions including clinics.

Students must ensure that they meet the minimum attendance requirements associated with a specific assessment condition. For example, you are required to attend no less than 80% of practical clinics.

Tardiness And Punctuality

Tardiness is disruptive to students, patients and educators. Punctuality is critical to you in this chosen profession as you will operate in and service the public in a time-based environment. Delays in patient care and attention, such as appointment times, in actual practice can ultimately affect your business.

Unit convenors have the option of incorporating a policy linked to punctuality, with appropriate consequences, in their unit requirements. The unit convenor’s prerogative is to determine what constitutes tardiness and when “being late for class” constitutes an absence. The Course Coordinator has the authority and responsibility to deal with immediate discipline issues which are addressed in the Student Misconduct Procedure.

Classroom Etiquette

Scholarly behaviour is a necessary outcome in all professional coursework. Our teaching facilities and classrooms expect certain behaviours that facilitate the course’s nature and which then flow into the workplace. An important ingredient in our classroom etiquette is respect.

You should expect and afford a certain degree of respect and courtesy regardless of the similarity or difference of viewpoints, and irrespective of age or experience. If you demonstrate any disrespectful or disruptive behaviour it is the prerogative of your teacher to ask you to leave the classroom, laboratory or clinic.

The request to leave the room is upheld in TAFE Queensland’s policies and procedures. Your teacher may also elect not to give credit for classroom/clinic participation for that day. Penalties for disruptive behaviour, absences or tardiness may also apply. Additionally, if the behaviour is severe or is repeated, the Student Rules for misconduct may be evoked.

Examples include: Refusing to obey health and safety and emergency procedures, loud talking in class, sleeping, text-messaging, reading non-class-related material, eating and drinking, playing music, tardy arrivals, or failing to turn off a cell phone, abusive or aggressive behaviour that causes offence, fear, or harm to others; any form of harassment and inappropriate clothing, including clothing that contains offensive language or images that may offend others.

Student Professional Behaviour

Over time, the following has been developed with input from your student advocates/representatives. It is intended to guide you in your approach to this course as a professional in the dental industry. It has been developed with workplace health and safety in mind and as a professional courtesy for all stakeholders, please: always be on time display common courtesy be responsible and take responsibility for your actions be responsible for your learning and apply fair use of TAFE Queensland resources be respectful to TAFE Queensland South Bank Denture Clinic staff, students, and clients acknowledgment of peers - networking and industry collaborations are crucial for success dress appropriately (Thongs or singlets are not appropriate) use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Examples of appropriate PPE include:

Long pants/slacks preferred

No skirts/denim/dresses

Laboratory coat

Laboratory mask

Surgical gloves

Eye protection

Enclosed leather shoes with flat heels

Collared shirts (half sleeve shirts preferred)

Long hair needs to be tied back or use of surgical caps

No acrylic nails and/or nails polish

No bangles, long earrings, wrist or finger jewellery